MPs' expenses allow £10,000 for new kitchen

MPs hoping to add a touch of glamour to their second homes can spend up to £10,000 on a new kitchen, £750 on a stereo and £300 on air conditioning - and all at the taxpayers' expense, according to a document released last night.

The so-called John Lewis List, based on prices from that department store, gives the maximum that MPs can claim on expenses for 38 household items.

MPs had fiercely resisted publishing details of the allowance, claiming invasion of privacy. But last night the Press Association obtained access to the list via the Freedom of Information Act.

The list shows MPs can claim up to £1,000 for a bed, £250 for a coffee table, £600 for a dining table, £500 for a dressing table, £550 for a fridge-freezer and £200 for a blender. Carpets and wood flooring can be bought at £35 per sq m; spending on sideboards can reach £795; and for wardrobes the limit is £700. Dry cleaning of clothes and household items is permitted "within reasonable limits".

The document also refers to expenses rules that ban claims for "antique, luxury or premium-grade" furnishings and "extravagant or luxurious" items. It says John Lewis is used as a guide because of its leading position in a Which? survey in February last year.

Last night Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers Alliance, said John Lewis was "hardly the cheapest place to purchase household goods". He added: "When MPs start revealing all expenses over £25, hopefully they'll be encouraged to shop around on the internet and hunt down the best deals like the rest of us."

Labour MP David Winnick said: "It does look rather expensive for [some] items and obviously the public will say, why should John Lewis be the benchmark?"

Last month the information tribunal ruled that details of the list should be published saying its "laxity and lack of clarity ... constitute a recipe for confusion, inconsistency and the risk of misuse".